Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Charlotte Hornets Offseason: Round Table Discussion

By Jerry Stephens

Apr 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2), guard Courtney Lee (1) and guard Kemba Walker (15) celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2), guard Courtney Lee (1) and guard Kemba Walker (15) celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Apr 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) shoots the ball as Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson (25) defends in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 113-98. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) shoots the ball as Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson (25) defends in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 113-98. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

After one of their most successful seasons in recent history, the Charlotte Hornets were forced to make sizable changes this offseason. We here at Swarm and Sting discuss some of the moves.

The Charlotte Hornets have made a complete overhaul of their roster from last season this summer. They were forced to let some players walk in free agency, re-sign key pieces, and add new parts. How will all of these move work out for the team this season?

After such a successful 2015-2016 campaign, the Hornets will be looking to be even better this year. It will be a difficult task but expectations are high in Charlotte and the pressure falls squarely on the players. We here at Swarm and Sting discuss some of the moves in free agency.

More from Swarm and Sting

1. Of the new players, who will have the biggest impact on the team this season?

Deshawn White (@DeDashCray): I think Ramon Sessions is going to be huge and dependable, but I really think Roy Hibbert potentially focusing on defense will be good for the team. We needed a rim protector and we got one who needs to be in a system that fits him without asking him to do too much. I think this is where he needed to be.

Max Teddy (@Maxwellteddy): Does Michael Kidd-Gilchrist count?! Maybe not, but of the new players acquired in free agency, I would say the most impactful player will be Roy Hibbert. His style of play is so different from the player he is replacing (Al Jefferson), that Hibbert will either vault the frontcourt forward or cause them to regress. Either way, look for #55 to dramatically change the way the Hornets play in the post. What Charlotte loses in Big Al’s old-school post moves, they gain in Hibbert’s ability to defend and patrol the paint.

Luke Spencer (@Svengalitiger): Ramon Sessions will be a quality back-up PG to have, but of all the free agents or traded players the Hornets got, I believe both Hibbert and Belinelli will have equal impact on the team on opposite ends of the floor. Having Hibbert come off the bench for the first time in his career will help him become a more effective player. His last season with the Lakers was the absolute worst fit for his skillset and there’s no doubt he should thrive more so under Coach Clifford.

I’m a little cautious on him offensively, but defensively he’ll make his presence known no doubt.  Belinelli won’t bring the sticky defense that Courtney Lee had, but he’ll be a better offensive player than Lee. As good as Lee was, there were times he just wouldn’t be a factor offensively at all in certain games. Belinelli is a more confident spot-up shooter and will be one of the first players off the bench.

Clifford really likes veteran-savvy players, as evidenced with Lee and Mo Williams; both players were immediately inserted into the starting line-up immediately after they were traded to the Hornets. Like Hibbert, Belinelli was not in the best situation with the Kings. Typically he’s a 38%-39% 3pt shooter, and the fact that he shot 30% this past season is a situational aberration.  Belinelli clearly knows how to play the game as evidenced with his time with the Spurs.

He’s a good athlete who’s very quick on his feet, and can get to the basket if need be. Expect to see him play significant minutes in the 4th quarter this upcoming season; he’s a very underrated clutch shooter. Considering the Hornets were chucking away at the 3 point line last year, he’ll slide in just fine as the primary back-up wing. The more I think about it, the more I like this trade, but I will admit I have an affinity for European players.

Laieke Abebe (@StrikaNation24_): Roy Hibbert’s defensive presence is the reason why I’m going with him on this one. Al Jefferson brought a lot to the table including an excellent back to the basket game. Letting him walk for a person we are signing on a “low risk, high reward” contract was pretty well done (even though I’ve been a big fan of Big Al for a while). #55 has one season to improve his value and in a place where there isn’t as much pressure due to the market (in comparison to the Lakers), he could certainly do so and I hope he does so.

Jerry Stephens (@JR_Steph23): Call me crazy but I think that Marco Belinelli will have a huge impact on the team. While I didn’t fully think it was a great trade when it first happened, it has now grown on me. Belinelli will thrive in Coach Clifford’s system and with the Hornets’ offensive style. He is stylistically perfect as a wing off of the bench. He will likely be a potential sixth man for Charlotte and play big minutes behind Nicolas Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He will have some big shoes to fill by essentially replacing Courtney Lee. If he can return to his form from 2013-2014 with the San Antonio Spurs and bounce back from a career worst season with the Sacramento Kings, then he will be a great pickup for the team.

Next: Did the Team Do Enough?

Home/Hornets News